Making Social prescribing a routine part of community support across London is one of the Mayor’s Key Commitments within the Health Inequalities Strategy

Social Prescribing

Social Prescribing is where people receive non-medical help to improve their health and well-being, normally through accessing community activities in their local area.

We know that at least 20 per cent of people visit their GP for non-medical reasons. Social prescribing is a way of reducing visits to the doctor and hospital. It's also a way of ensuring people get the most appropriate support they need to take control of maintaining or improving their own health and well-being.

What is social prescribing?

Video of What is social prescribing?

Social Prescribing: Our Vision for London - Your views required!

Together with the Healthy London Partnership, NHS England and the Social Prescribing Network for London and following engagement and support from a wide range of stakeholders across London, we have developed a draft social prescribing vision for London. We want your views on this document which can be found at the foot of this page.

This sets out what we believe are the key steps to ensure that every Londoner has access to a social prescription in London by 2028. The vision describes the building blocks we believe are essential to growing social prescribing, ensuring easy access and supporting local provision.

The vision will continue to be shaped over the coming months as we engage with stakeholders, and in light of strategic policy announcements expected in the forthcoming NHS Long Term Plan.

We would like to hear your views on the draft vision, in particular:

Do you think this is the right approach to support the mainstreaming of social prescribing in London over the next 10 years so that every Londoner can easily have access to a social prescription?

In your view, what more should be done to support:

Helping Londoners to understand social prescribing and how it can benefit them and help them to take more control over their health and well-being

The growth of digital solutions

Ensuring more/better access to social welfare legal services in London

Supporting workforce development, in particular the link-worker role, including improving career pathways and providing effective support for staff

Supporting GPs and other health professionals to engage with social prescribing

Supporting volunteers to engage in social prescribing

Do you have a case study to share, that you’d like to see in vision? We are keen to highlight examples from across London, including from the wide range of Voluntary and Community Social Enterprise organisations who are supporting Londoners. If you have an example you’d like to share, please send us a brief description and your contact details and we will get in touch to discuss the next steps.

How to respond

Please send your written responses to [email protected] by 28 February 2019. There will also be opportunities to engage in the debate about social prescribing through Talk London in the new year.

To find out more about social prescribing as the vision is developed please sign up for updates on the Health Inequalities strategy.